Organisational Behaviour – Movie Review
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ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR
MOVIE REVIEW
GLADIATOR
GMBA January 2008
Avinash Anand
“We mortals are but Shadows and Dust Maximus… Shadows and Dust!”
Proximo
Summary
The movie, set in 180 A.D. traces the journey of a man who goes from being a trusted army General to the Emperor of Rome to a Slave to a Gladiator who eventually defies the Empire to exact his revenge and ensure that Rome gets converted back into a Republic.
The movie highlights various aspects of inter personal relationships, group dynamics, leadership qualities and personal qualities such as courage, determination, self belief, love, jealousy, ambition and most of all Power.
Character Analysis
Maximus (Played by Russell Crowe)
The central character of the movie — Maximus plays the role of an army general, a slave and eventually a powerful Gladiator . He is someone who epitomizes courage, leadership, wisdom, fortitude and selflessness.
As an army general in the Roman Empire, he is dedicated to carrying out his duties as instructed by his Cesar. He looks up to his Cesar and Roman Empire with a lot of respect and believes that everything he does is for a cause. He is chosen by Marcus Aurelius as the worthy successor of Rome but the situation soon changes when Commodus kills the Emperor, orders the killing of Maximus and gets his family murdered. A wounded and forlorn Maximus is soon captured by nomads and sold as a Slave to fight in flea markets.
He continuously motivates his team of Gladiators and does not hesitate to take charge when they are put up against a series of fights. By exhibiting all the abilities of a natural leader, he is able to earn the respect of everyone who interacts with him. These include the Emperor, Lucilla, his army and his friends. On reaching Rome, Maximus dreams of an opportunity to get even with Commodus and fights for the sole reason of facing him. Eventually, by the power of his will, he gets his revenge by defeating Commodus in front of the large Roman crowd and asks for the wishes of Marcus Aurelius (Conversion of Rome to a Republic) to be fulfilled.
FIRO-B ANALYSIS
Inclusion & Sociability
Expressed
Wanted
•
Is an extremely private person by nature and does not show much intention to be sociable
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In a rare instance, in order to win the crowd he raise his sword after the Gladiator fight against the Barbarians
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Being a private personality, he does not expect people to include him in social activities
•
He wants the crowd in the Gladiator games to love him.
Control & Leadership
Expressed
Wanted
•
Being a natural leader, every time he finds a situation out of control, he automatically takes charge
•
In all the battles, he portrays himself to be fully in control and responsible for the situation
•
He is proud to serve his country whenever required and does not mind being in a controlled and regulated environment
Affection & Warmth
Expressed
Wanted
•
Is extremely affectionate towards his family ,Lucilla, Lucius, his army men and Marcus Aurelius
•
Is kind by nature and this shows in his interactions with fellow Gladiators
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Initially, all he wants by way of affection is to be with his family and spend time at home
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After the murder of his family, the only person from whom he seeks some affection is Lucilla
JOHARI WINDOW ANALYSIS
Maximus’ Johari Window analysis is as seen below.
Known to Self
Not Known to Self
Known to others
Arena
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Courageous Fighter.
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Natural Leader
•
Fair in Judgement
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Enjoys loyalty of his team (army).
•
Empathetic
•
Selflessness
•
Wisdom
•
Fortitude
Blind Spot
•
Underestimates his might as a political leader
Not Known to others
Faħade
•
Family loving
•
Religious, prays in private
Unknown
•
Degree of affection for Caesar
•
His ability to fight for his survival
Maximus� analysis through Johari Window reveals that he shows characteristics of Type D which is normally seen as the Ideal Window.
The Ideal Window Diagram
In the above, diagram, A represents Arena, BS represents Blind Spot, F represents Faħade and U represents Unknown. The Ideal Window in the first example reflects a high degree of trust in the group or in any relationship significant to the person. Among managers, Type D practices constitute an ideal state from the standpoint of